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United States Yusef Salaam has transitioned from being one of the Exonerated Five to a motivational speaker, activist, and elected member of the New York City Council.
Yusef Salaam has served on the board of the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongly convicted and reforming the criminal justice system. He also partnered to help raise awareness for the organization and its mission.
Yusef Salaam co-founded Justice 4 the Wrongfully Incarcerated with his mother. This initiative focused on advocating for criminal justice reform, prison reform, and educating the public. The Innocence Project worked with him on advocating for changes in the justice system after his exoneration.
Getty Images has collections of diverse images and videos featuring Yusef Salaam, crafted through strategic brand partnerships and customer needs. This collaboration makes his public appearances and work accessible through visual media.
Yusef Salaam has been featured by The Marshall Project in their 'We Are Witnesses' series, detailing his experiences related to prison abuse, criminal justice reform, and the impact on families.
Yusef Salaam collaborated with The Marshall Project and The New Yorker on a YouTube video detailing how his life was affected by his wrongful conviction as one of the "Central Park Five."
Yusef Salaam appeared on an episode of the 'Punching the Air' podcast, discussing his life as a poet, activist, and inspirational speaker, and his partnership with the podcast's associated brands.
Yusef Salaam was born in 1974 in New York City and raised in a Muslim household, where faith and spirituality were emphasized by his grandmother and mother. In 1989, at the age of 15, Salaam became one of the “Central Park Five” (later known as the “Exonerated Five”) when he was wrongfully accused and convicted of a rape and assault in Central Park. Despite denying involvement, he and four other teenagers, all of Black and Latino descent, were convicted in 1990 following confessions they later claimed were coerced through police beatings and threats. He was released from prison in 1997, having served nearly seven years for a crime he did not commit.
His conviction was formally vacated in 2002 after Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and rapist, confessed to the crime, a confession corroborated by DNA evidence. In 2014, New York City settled a civil rights lawsuit with the Exonerated Five for $41 million. During his imprisonment, Salaam deepened his connection to Islam, finding strength and perspective in his faith. He served as the Imam of a youth facility for five years and later as a religious judge and assistant leader in an adult facility, roles that further shaped his understanding of justice and community.
Following his release and exoneration, Salaam became a dedicated advocate for criminal justice reform and prison reform. He served on the board of the Innocence Project. In 2022, he moved back to New York City from Georgia and in February 2023, announced his candidacy for the 9th City Council District, representing Harlem. He successfully won the Democratic primary in July 2023, defeating experienced assemblymembers, and was unopposed in the general election, officially assuming office on January 1, 2024. He was re-elected in November 2025. His career trajectory highlights a commitment to public service and social justice, advocating for the wrongfully incarcerated and marginalized communities.
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